Lantana Town Council Votes To Retain Earlier Zoning Change

LANTANA — The Town Council stood by a controversial zoning request it granted almost six months ago and voted 3-2 during Monday night`s public hearing to uphold its earlier decision.

Council members voted on the measure with no discussion and without soliciting opinions from residents present at the meeting. Council President Dorothy Rissler and council member Dorothy Interlandi dissented.

Monday night`s ruling is the first step toward putting a nine-year battle among North Lake Drive neighbors to rest.

A group of property owners led by former Councilman Dave McGregor had been trying for almost 10 years to convince the council to change the street`s zoning from single-family to multifamily residential.

McGregor, like most of the owners seeking the rezoning, told the council he probably would attempt to sell his property if he could secure the rezoning.

The council in October heeded pleas from the six property owners and rezoned the 14 waterfront lots on North Lake Drive. Because the town`s Comprehensive Land-Use Plan states that the land should be single-family residential, town officials are required by law to hold two public hearings on the matter.

The Town`s Land-Use Committee will meet at 6 p.m. tonight to review the council`s vote.

Two weeks ago, however, the council overturned a traffic pattern change that had been incorporated into the rezoning ordinance.

At that March 11 meeting, council members bowed to pressure from 14 local businesses in the North Lake Drive area and revoked the traffic flow change.

In an effort to appease residents concerned about traffic increases expected from the higher density housing, the council in October had changed the traffic flow of North Lake Drive and Oak Street, a road which parallels North Lake Drive on the west.

Merchants in The Village by the Sea, a cluster of 14 shops between North Lake Drive and Oak Street, complained to the council that the traffic pattern change confused and inconvenienced their customers.

After hearing the complaints and reviewing a traffic study which shopping center owner Jane Singleton had prepared, the council decided to revert to the previous traffic pattern.